


Wait, You're Not Adopted Yet?

by Lady_of_Lorule



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Dick Grayson Feels, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dick Grayson-centric, Family, Family Feels, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, How Do I Tag, Jason Todd is Robin, Light Angst, Set Between Young Justice Season 1 and Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:28:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24867610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_of_Lorule/pseuds/Lady_of_Lorule
Summary: Dick Grayson has been the official ward of Bruce Wayne for six years now. Jason Todd has been the officially adopted son for two months. Bruce decides to ask if Dick also wants to be adopted after all this time and the Team is there for him.Set sometime between season one and two of Young Justice.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Barbara Wilson, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & The Team (Young Justice)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 499





	Wait, You're Not Adopted Yet?

“Hey! Boy Wonder! Get your ass over here!” Wally hollered, waving broadly.

Dick rolled his eyes as he made his way across the rock strewn beach stretching along the base of Mount Justice. The red head was lounging on a beach blanket, slathering on sunscreen to protect his pale skin. Artemis was on a blanket next to him and was laughing at him, gesturing to her own tan skin. Beyond them, Dick could see M’gann, Gar, and Kaldur setting up a whole picnic buffet as Garth and Tula used their magic to make a phenomenal sand castle nearby. Zatanna, Raquel, Donna, and Barbara were playing beach volleyball, and Conner and Jason were splashing in the water.

Basically, everything was utterly perfect and peaceful, yet Dick’s stomach was squirming and his legs felt shaky as he made his way over to his best friend.

“Where have you been?” Wally demanded as Dick dropped down next to him, right onto the sand. “I thought you’d come with your little brother.”

“Sorry, something came up,” he replied, tipping his head back to feel the sun on his face. And to avoid eye contact.

“Everything okay? I mean, what kind of ‘something’ are we talking about here?”

Artemis peeked over at them, and Dick could practically feel the concern radiating off of his friends. He knew he looked like a mess. He’d stumbled out of the Manor still wearing his training clothes, a sideless tank top and tights, and he hadn’t thought to change into swim trunks before coming. Not his finest moment.

“Nothing you guys need to worry about. Personal stuff.”

They didn’t look convinced in the slightest. He didn’t blame them. However, M’gann announced that the food was ready and he took that convenient opportunity to slip away from their prying eyes.

“There you are,” M’gann reprimanded playfully.

He kissed her temple as he reached by her to grab a plate. “Sorry, sorry. It looks delicious.”

“I helped!” Gar said, tugging on the hem of Dick’s shirt. “I helped my sis with the food.”

He grinned down at the green boy. “Then I’m sure it’ll be awesome. How’s tutoring going, kid?”

“Good, I guess. Mr. Carr is really cool, and I like learning about biology. I mean, I kind of miss going to school with other kids, but it’s not the worst.” Gar kept prattling on as Dick listened and loaded up his plate. It was kind of soothing, and pleasantly distracting, to listen to the boy talk about something so mundane.

Still, as Gar talked, Dick found himself thinking of Jason, which was not what he wanted right now. Gar and Jay were the two unofficial ‘younger brothers’ of the Team, though, so it was no surprise that one would remind him of the other.

Then M’gann pulled her little brother away after a few minutes to get him to eat, and Dick was kind of disappointed. Without Gar babbling, his thoughts got too loud again. He settled down onto a chair between Barbara and Conner and couldn’t help but watch Jason surreptitiously.

His little brother, sort of. Jason had been a complete and utter surprise. Dick had never imagined that Bruce would take in another kid, but then one day, just a few months ago, he’d pulled into the Batcave with a malnourished twelve year old in the Batmobile. Everything had seemed to move so fast after that, from Dick deciding to pass on Robin to Jason as he took up his new Nightwing mantle, to Jason starting to train with the Team, to Jason getting adopted. To Jason being officially introduced to the public as Jason Todd-Wayne.

It didn’t feel like that long ago.

Already, though, Jason was so different than when they first met. Jason had been short, skinny, and suspicious when they met. Life on the streets had been hard. Now, though, thanks to Alfred’s diligent work, the boy had filled out and already sprouted up two inches. His hair was neatly trimmed instead of tangled, and he didn’t watch everyone around him with open distrust but instead meshed into the Team nicely, enjoying being doted on by everyone. Even if he still had a few rough edges.

“What are you brooding about?” Babs asked, leaning over and plucking a grape off his plate. He stuck his tongue out at her out of habit.

“Not brooding. Can’t a guy eat in peace?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Are you seriously trying to lie to me?”

“Maybe a little brooding,” he conceded, sighing and raking a hand through his hair.

She tracked his gaze to Jason. The new Robin was enthusiastically tearing into a large plate of food. Tula and Zatanna were laughing at him, and he kicked sand at them. Artemis swooped in a moment later to settle him back down. The archer and the boy got along exceptionally well because of their similar upbringing in Gotham’s gritty streets. Jason would even listen to Artemis over Dick at times.

“Did you have another fight with Jay?”

“No! We’re good, I swear!” he denied instantly. “We haven’t fought in a while.”

Which was true. Sure, he and Jason had gotten off to a rough start. Jason had been so accustomed to life on his own, on the streets, and the independence and self-reliance that came with it that he had often reacted viciously to any of Dick’s initial attempts to get closer to him. Dick knew that he was partially to blame for some of those early clashes. He had been blind-sided by the adoption and felt betrayed by Bruce, and he’d taken out some of that anger on Jason. However, after he’d sat and had a serious talk with Bruce, all animosity on his side ended and he had renewed his efforts to befriend his new little brother.

Jason, once Dick had gotten past his tough exterior, turned out to be an affection-starved, sweet boy. He loved to read and help Alfred with chores, and he loved when Bruce ruffled his hair for a job well done. Dick had pushed his limits in the way only a brother could, giving him tackling hugs and invading his personal space during downtime for ‘bonding’ whenever he felt like it. Jason had resisted at first, but soon enough stopped pretending that he didn’t absolutely love Dick’s tactile demonstrations of affection. Now they only fought over dumb stuff like the best ice cream place in Gotham or idiotic stunts done on patrol.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” she said, sipping her lemonade. “But that doesn’t explain what’s bothering you and what it has to do with Jason.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with Jason,” he replied honestly.

“I give up, Boy Wonder. You’re the world’s greatest detective’s protegee, not me. What’s bothering you?”

“I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

“Okay. I’ll stop prying then. But you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

He smiled and leaned over to peck her cheek. “I know, Babs. Thank you.”

She smiled back and then returned to her plate of food. Dick found that his meager appetite had evaporated as his conversation with Bruce in the Manor resurfaced in his mind and refused to subside. Without much thought, Dick got up and wandered away from his friends and the panic, his feet leaving a trail in the sand towards the water. The cold water of the Atlantic nipped at his toes, but combined with the warm summer day, it just felt nice.

He loved the water. One of his earliest childhood memories was of a short stop the circus had made along the Italian coast. His family had taken him down to the beach. Dick had played in the water with his aunt and uncle, collected shells with his parents, and built sandcastles with his cousin. His father had taught him how to do a flip that day on the sand, and his whole family applauded when he got it right for the first time. His aunt had said that he would be an amazing acrobat, just like his family, and his mom had said he’d grow up to be just as handsome as his father. He remembered how his little chest had puffed with pride upon hearing that.

Dick walked into the ocean and the warm memory fled as the icy water surged up his legs and to his chest. Once he was deep enough he started swimming out, away from the shore with strong, broad strokes. He was no Atlantean, but Bruce had made sure he was an excellent swimmer because of how often they got tossed into Gotham Harbor.

His brain still wasn’t quiet enough, not when doing stokes was hardly taxing for him. So he sucked in a deep breath, filling up his lungs to the breaking point and then down straight down, into the murky water. His record for holding his breath was four minutes and ten seconds, but he had a feeling he could do better. And it was hard to think about anything but not breathing when submerged.

His thoughts turned off and he let himself drift a bit in the water. Everything was blue and hazy down here. He knew that Tula, Garth, and Kaldur would be able to see a million times better in the water. They could probably see the tides themselves, for all he knew.

He checked his clock. Three minute, fifty-seconds. He was definitely feeling the strain, but he knew his limits well enough that he didn’t surface. He could hold out for a bit longer. He was pretty sure he could beat his record, actually. That oughtta make Bruce happy.

Around the four minute mark, hands suddenly seized him under his armpits and started dragging him up. His training kicked in and he drove him leg back, into his attacker, while his hand reached for his rebreather. The rebreather that was in his utility belt. In his suit. The one he wasn’t wearing. Oh, shit.

The attacker seemed undeterred, keeping a tight grip on Dick as he swam them both upwards. Oh. Okay, that wasn’t so bad. Dick  _ really  _ needed some air. He allowed himself to be pulled up, bracing himself for the moment when they broke the surface so that he’d be ready to get away.

The sun shone in a distorted pattern just overhead and then Dick was above water, his lungs sucking in a deep breath of fresh air. Before he could kick off his attacker, though, the person let go. He sucked in another breath, blinking salt water out of his eyes, and then found himself face to face with Kaldur.

“Dude, what the hell?”

“You were under the water for four minutes,” the Atlantean said, leveling a cool gaze that was attempting to mask confusion at him. Dick was unimpressed. “I was coming to save you.”

“Well, thanks, I guess, but I wasn’t drowning.”

“Humans can’t breathe underwater.”

Dick treaded water as he rolled his eyes. “No, they can’t, but I’ve had training, Kal. I was just trying to see how long I could hold my breath. No danger.”

“Do  _ not  _ attempt that again without someone there to help you,” the leader snapped, as stern as Dick had ever seen him. “Especially Tula, Garth, or myself.”

“Noted.”

“Come back to shore. You can explain to Wally why you gave him a heart attack yourself.”

Kaldur didn’t even wait to see if he was following before he swam to shore. Dick did follow, mostly because he did feel bad for scaring his friends. He hadn’t even thought of how it would look if he just didn’t surface for a few minutes.

“Are you alright?”

“What happened?”

“Did something grab you?”

Conner, M’gann, Wally, Artemis, and Babs were all standing in the shallows as Kaldur and Dick stepped onto the beach. He grimaced as he saw all the worry in their faces. Yeah, that had been a bad idea.

“Guys, I’m fine. I was just just trying to beat my record for holding my breath under water,” he said, waving his hand in a vague gesture.

Suddenly Wally was in front of him, shoving him back. He stumbled, the sand offering no support under his feet. “You asshole! I was worried when I saw you go under and not come back up!”

“Sorry.”

“You’d better be! I’m losing years of my life just by being around you, I swear.”

Conner stepped up to stand beside Wally. “What were you thinking? That was dangerous.”

“Uh, I dress up in spandex every night and fight mutated crocodiles in the sewer. I think that’s much worse, to be honest.”

“Don’t joke this off,” the half-Kryptonian snapped. Dick felt bad instantly. Conner hadn’t been angry like this in a while. His relationship with M’gann, his new bond with Superman, and his therapy with Black Canary had all done wonders for his anger issues. Dick must have seriously worried him to elicit this reaction.

He softened his expression. “Yeah, okay, okay. I’m sorry.”

Conner crossed his arms. Now all of them were surrounding him with looks of concern and annoyance. He shot a look at Babs, hoping to find some support there, but nope. She looked just as pissed as the rest of them. There goes that option.

“What’s up, Dick?” Wally finally said, speaking for all of them. “We can tell something’s been bothering you since you got here, and now you’re trying to drown yourself.”

“I wasn’t trying to drown myself!” he protested sharply.

“Well, what else are we supposed to think when you don’t tell anyone you’re swimming out into the ocean to set a new diving record?!” He let out a shaky breath, and then fixed a stern look on his best friend. “Spill. Now.”

Dick sighed. “Okay, fine. Can we get out of the water, though? I’m soaked.”

In his stupidity, he had forgotten that he wasn’t wearing a swimsuit, but gymnastics clothes that  _ really  _ didn’t like being wet. Wally nodded and Dick headed inland, across the warm sand to a loose grouping of rocks. It looked like at some point some teenagers had had a party on the beach here and gathered the rocks in a loose circle around a makeshift bonfire pit. Dick hopped up on one of the rocks which was warm from the sun and closed his eyes briefly in contentment. It felt nice against his soaked leggings. He just pulled off his shirt and wrung it out as the others settled onto the rocks, all looking to him.

He looked around at them, a group of his oldest and closest friends, and felt the damn in his chest break open.

“Bruce came into the gym when I was working out this morning,” he told them, his gaze flitting from person to person. “I thought he was just checking in, but he stayed the whole time. And then, when I was done he told me he wanted to talk to me about something and he led me to his study.”

“What was it?” M’gann prodded with an encouraging smile.

“Adoption,” he croaked. He shoved his shaking hands under his thighs to hide the tremors. “He wanted to talk about adopting me.”

“Wait, you’re not already adopted?” Conner asked, confusion clear on his face. Kaldur, too, looked a bit stunned.

Dick shook his head. “No, no. When Bruce took me in, after— after my parents died, I told him flat out that I didn’t want a new dad, and he agreed. That was our arrangement, and it worked. So he took me in as a ward of the state. But he did adopt Jason. And I guess the adoption got him thinking, because this morning he showed me a set of papers from his desk.”

“Adoption papers?” Babs guessed.

He let out a humorless laugh. “Yep. Dated six years ago. He’s had them all this time, just waiting until he thought the moment was right, I guess.”

Wally looked around the circle, then focused on Dick. “Well, that’s good, isn’t it? That he wants to legally adopt you, too?”

“I don’t know.” he scrubbed at his damp hair roughly. “I don’t know how to feel about it. I’ve never really cared that we weren’t legally father and son. I mean, I considered it when Jay was adopted, but it didn’t bother me. But now Bruce just dumped it on me that he would love to adopt me and that he didn’t want to disrespect the memory of my father or my feelings, and that’s why he waited so long to say anything. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that vulnerable and sincere before.”

His mind flashed to how Bruce had looked that morning, holding those adoption papers that only needed Dick’s signature to bind them together forever. Bruce had been dressed casually, in jeans and a Gotham Knights shirt, and he would have looked relaxed if not for the tension in his shoulders and the way his eyes had darted about all morning. Dick was excellent at reading his body language. And when Bruce had explained everything, explained the adoption and his reasons and his feelings Dick had been able to read everything that Bruce didn’t explicitly say.

_ I love you. I want us to be family. I already think of you as my son. I love you. I really, really want you to agree to this, but I’m terrified that you won’t want this. I love you. What if you think I’m trying to replace John Grayson? What if I’m offending you by offering this? I love you so much. _

“So what did you say?” M’gann asked, reaching over to rest a hand on his knee.

“I didn’t know what to say, so I literally room out of the goddamn room and took the Zeta tube straight here.” Wally whistled as Babs gaped at him. He threw his hands up. “I know, I know, it was a totally cowardly thing to do. He just took me by surprise. I had no clue what to say to him.”

“Which is completely fair,” M’gann said, her big brown eyes calming as she met his gaze. “This is a big deal. You don’t need to decide on anything right away.”

“Yeah, dude, Miss M is right,” Wally agreed. “It’s entirely up to you. If you want it, go for it, but if you don’t or you’re not ready, tell him. He’s already waited six years. I doubt he’ll toss you out of the mansion or anything.”

Artemis nodded. “And you know we’ll support any decision you make.”

He smiled at them. His nerves were far from gone, but with his friends surrounding him, comforting him when he needed it most, he didn’t feel as frantic, as lost.

“You guys are awesome.” Something clicked in his mind. “And I need to go talk to Bruce.”

Artemis, Wally, and Babs cheered as he got off the rock and made his way across the dunes. Tula, Garth, and Gar were facing off against Raquel, Zatanna, and Jason at beach volleyball further down the beach, away from the former bonfire pit.

“Jay!” he yelled. His little brother turned towards him. Dick waved him over, then watched as Jason apologized to his team and ran across the beach.

“What is it? We were winning!”

“I’m calling a family meeting,” he said, the words falling out of his mouth. “Back to the Manor.”

“Right now?”

“Right now. Before I change my mind or do something stupid.”

Jason rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. They made their way back to the Cave. Dick instructed Jason to call Bruce to tell him to meet them in the living room and to bring Alfred while he grabbed non-ruined athletic clothes to wear. He returned a minute later in jeans and a faded Haly’s Circus shirt.

“Bruce said they’ll be there in ten-ish,” Jason reported as he returned. “What’s this even about?”

“You’ll see.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you being so cryptic?”

“Big brother privilege: I don’t have to answer your questions. Just go along with it.”

“You’re so annoying.”

Dick didn’t dispute that. He punched the Batcave’s code into the computer to fire up the Zeta tube, his body thrumming with energy. He felt like sprinting a mile or flipping on the rings for an hour, but he constrained himself to tapping his finger against his leg rapidly. Jason noticed the tic, but didn’t comment as they stepped through.

* * *

Bruce had to force himself not to speed down the highway as he drove to the Manor. It wasn’t often that one or both of his sons demanded his attention when they knew he was working, but Jason had stressed that it wasn’t an emergency. Bruce couldn’t help but worry though. He’d made his way out of his office as quickly as he could, and now he was pulling up to the Manor only fifteen minutes, which wasn’t bad considering he’d been across town.

He got out of the car and jogged up the steps. Alfred must have been waiting for him, because the butler opened the door to admit him and reached for his coat.

“Are the boys here?” he asked, allowing Alfred to take his coat and blazer.

“Indeed, Master Bruce. They are waiting in the living room for us.”

“Do you know what this is about?”

“Surprisingly, no, sir. Do you?”

Well, if no one was dying, that limited the options exponentially. Immediately, he thought of the disastrous conversation with Dick this morning. He’d been ready for a lot of reactions, but his son literally fleeing the room without a word had not been one of them. Could this be related to that? Was Dick leaving? Had he come to say, sorry, this isn’t working out, so I’m going to leave now that you made it weird and ruined the perfect thing we had going?

“No, Alfred,” he said, forcing his voice to stay even. “Not a clue.”

They turned into the living room a moment later. His eyes swept over the room like he was in hostile territory, cataloging everything. Nothing was out of place or broken, no signs of a fight or injury. Jason was perched in a chair. He’d set his book down as they entered the room. Dick, however, was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. His head snapped over towards Bruce as he heard him enter.

“Bruce,” Dick said, a flurry of emotions crossing his face.

“Dick. Jay said you wanted to see us, chum?” He cursed himself a second later for letting the nickname slip out. That was probably the last thing Dick wanted to hear right now.

His oldest clearly had other matters on his mind, though. He nodded sharply, then took a deep breath. “Yeah, I do. I think this should be a moment with the whole family together.”

“What’s that?”  _ Please don’t be leaving, please, please don’t go, I need you— _

“This.”

Dick slid forward a piece of paper on the table. Alfred walked closer, but Bruce didn’t need to. Those papers had sat in his desk for six years. They were a bit creased and well worn from frequent handling over the years. So many times, Bruce had pulled those papers out and wondered if he should walk down the hall and ask Dick if he wanted to sign them. So many times Bruce had slid them back into a drawer and sealed them away, telling himself  _ Not yet. _

“I wanted everyone to be here when I sign this.”

Bruce’s heart stopped. He looked at his oldest son, the boy who was growing into such an amazing man, who was looking straight at him with love and determination and joy in his eyes. His heart started again.

“Wait, you’re not adopted too?” Jason exclaimed, reading the papers beside Alfred.

“Well, not for long.” Dick suddenly turned shy, looking over at Bruce. “If you still want this.”

Bruce surged forward and wrapped his boy tightly in his arms. Dick melted into the embrace, squeezing him back, and he realized how much his little Robin had grown. He was getting close to Bruce in height, and his shoulders were so much broader than Bruce had thought. But it was still Dick. That was all that mattered.

“I want this,” he whispered into his hair and then pressed a kiss to those dark locks.

Dick extracted himself, grinning wildly. “Okay, good. Let’s do this then.”

“Here you go, Master Dick,” Alfred said, holding out a pen.

“Thanks, Alfie.”

Dick sat down on the couch, the papers in front of him. Jason sat on one side, close enough to touch his about-to-be-legally older brother. Bruce lowered himself onto the other side of Dick, smiling when Dick scooted a bit closer. Alfred stood beside Bruce, undisguised pride on his face. Dick took a deep breath.

“Here it goes.”

With his usual elaborate, looping hand, he signed his name in bright blue ink on the papers, sealing the contract at last.

“There we go,” Dick said, laughing a bit. “I am officially Bruce’s son and a Wayne.”

“About damn time,” Alfred said with a nod of approval.

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, Nevae4869 made a Korean translation of this story! Go check it out at https://kids-house.postype.com/post/7196644 if you want!!


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